THROUGH BOSWORTH FIELDS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2019 :: RMTnews 22 The Battlefield Line is the last remaining part of the former Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway, opened in 1873, which runs from Shackerstone via Market Bosworth to Shenton in Leicestershire operated by the Shackerstone Railway Society (SRS). SRS president Dave Johnson is one of the last original members that founded the society 50 years ago and he is clearly proud of what has been achieved in that time. Dave has worked on every inch of the line which runs a total of five miles to Shenton near Bosworth Field, the location of the final battle of the Wars of the Roses immortalised in Shakespeare's Richard III, giving the railway its name. The line has 13 bridges and culverts and requires constant attention and of course volunteers. “We have a core of around 70 volunteers on this line, including a female team of driver and firewoman, but we are always looking for more. “We started 50 years ago and it snowballed from there and we have only succeeded because of teamwork,“ he says. He explains that the society was set up in 1969 at Market Bosworth, but soon moved to Shackerstone in 1970, as they needed a proper home for their first steam engine. When they got to Shackerstone they found one through line still intact and their first aim was to build some sidings. Later they reinstated the "down" platform and connected the sidings to the line to Market THROUGH BOSWORTH FIELDS The heritage railway Battlefield Line in Leicestershire celebrates its 50th anniversary this year SRS president Dave Johnson